Perryville
KEE Race #4 7f Dirt Stake
Purse $250.000 For Three Year Olds.
1 East Of Creep Fractious Hernandez R M
This gelding has always been kept to sprint trips and looks suited in this sort of grade. He did very well in the Rumsen last time when actually giving weight to older horses and still managing a good third beaten only a length. The harsh penalty in the Rumsen was earned way back as a two year old when he won the Hope Stakes over this trip at grade three. He won that graded stakes as a closer before the new engine made on pace the place to be and since then being ridden up on the pace he has just looked a bit one paced. I would like to see the trainer give him a go from the back again in this race but this draw isn’t the best to do that from and of course the race engine doesn’t like the spinny leg slow starts. Either way he is working well and should go well.
2 Elemental Mo Mentum Farm Husbands P
You can never over look a horse with a 50% win record and especially one that was just a neck off the win in The Swale Stakes over this trip. A game win in the Jersey Shore was followed last time out with a slightly disappointing effort in the Gallant Bob but i feel the wide draw and the energy used to make the early pace may have contributed to that and i am willing to give him a second chance from the great draw he gets today.
3 Personal Ruler Wood Duck Stables Gaffalione T
The Stable is enjoying one of those peaks that can happen to trainers here at HRP where everything they touch turns to gold. This one had been campaigned on turf in the early part of the year but a switch to the dirt saw him take the Maxfield Stakes and then run a creditable fifth in the Amsterdam. Last time out he very nearly won one of those big ticket high level over nights and his works have been pretty swift since. I have learned over the years that it pays to follow the peaks and troughs of trainer form as much as horses so this one is certainly a winning chance.
4 Anna Da Artist Smokey Stover Cedillo A
A six race winner working 1.36 flat sounds like a three year old that has a raft of stakes wins but that certainly isn’t the case with this one. The winner of three claimers in the early part of the year he could’ve been snapped up for just $8 on two occasions but since then he has progressed on a steep improvement curve and the trainer will be mighty glad after they failed to assess him correctly in those early wins that he held onto him. The biggest blot on his copybook since then has been an awful effort in the WV Derby but that can be put down to the wet track which can give us some crazy looking form lines. If it stays dry i think this one may be hard to beat if he can sprint this seven furlongs.
5 Blamethespeedparty Martyparty Saez L
His form took a huge step up on the improvement curve after he was gelded and in his first run after the operation he very nearly won The Swale going down by just a neck. Since then he has struggled to make the winners circle but has run some great races in defeat most notably in the Lafayette, The Day Mile and The Jerkins Memorial. He looks like a seven furlong specialist which certainly helps as this can be a difficult trip to master and i see no reason why he wont be involved in the finish here.
6 The Greek Arindel Hernandez C J
His works are strong and he is an out and out sprinter (for now) so the question here may be the seventh furlong. The last time he tackled this trip was in a big ticket state bred stakes where he ran very nicely to be a strong second so the question may not be the trip so much as the draw. I feel on speed he may use up his early pace and coming from behind he may have to give some of these too much of a start so it may come down to tactics and pace as to whether he can win.
7 Proud Bo TwinTowersRacing Jaramillo E
Ordinarily this would be a good entry at this level but this is a tough race and as usual with a horse from this yard his form is hard to assess but good enough to make you wrinkle your forehead. I am not sure he has shown enough for me to give him a winning chance even though most of his recent runs have been on turf but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the frame at the end.
8 Palace Guard Sccj Stables Ferrer J C
A nice enough sort he has shown enough to be a contender here but also has to deal with a tough draw so may need a bit of luck. He ran a brilliant race from the car park in The Amsterdam to be third but then tried similar tactics from the inside draw and got a little buried before running on late to be a close fifth. He seems a natural closer in a race engine that suits on speed so it is always going to be tough for him and his trainer may look to use the click and play method to change his running style which may or may not make a difference. I actually think from this draw he may run well as a closer especially if there is some pressure up front but of course only the race engine can determine that so we will have to wait and see.
9 High Time Maxmillion Farm Velazquez J R
Getting out to the cheap seats we have the possible pace in the race as he may chose to use the wide gate speed push as he has in his last two efforts from similar draws. He ran big speed figures from the front and did use it well in the Harrods Creek last time but he will need some luck to run the right speed to see the trip out in this race. A lot will depend on what other stables use on the instructions front and what the race engine does but he is good enough to run a race.
10 Buy Low Sell High Asgar Franco M
Another that got sprinkled with some of the magic fairy dust that gelding can offer as he went from a low track maiden loser to winning three in a row at high level all thanks to the surgeons knife. He won The Harrods Creek last time over this trip beating a couple of today’s rivals so the form is good but the big thing today is he goes from three nice draws to the car park and that can often mean defeat as he has to try and get his preferred racing position without using to much early energy and getting left out wide. Certainly a winning chance on paper but he will need racing luck.
SUMMARY
Another one of those races where a convincing case can be offered for all of the runners. But as we know form can mean little and is flip flopped so easily these days that we have to use the games little nuances to find a winner. I think on that Anna Da Artist and Personal Ruler may fight out the finish as they are both drawn well and tick a few of the HRP boxes.
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded
